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Monday, October 20, 2008

Atheists — traditionally defined as those who disbelieve in God or religion — have found their voice in the wake of the religious tension riving the globe's societal fabric.

Across the planet, the number of atheist organisations has increased, and India has been no exception to this trend. The Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations that started in 1997, is an umbrella body comprising more than 50 rationalist and atheist organisations.

These organisations believe in the supremacy of humanism above religion, and are committed to spreading this message. The Science and Rationalists' Association of India is one such organisation, based in Kolkata, that has waged the battle to make Humanism a viable and legally recognised ideology, and won. The association' s founder, Prabir Ghosh, says, "In 1993, we won the case in court, and now 'humanism' can be written, wherever one's religion needs to be stated." Elaborating on his faith in humanism, he says, "I have read a lot about religion, and I realised that none of them tell the truth. All religions believe they are the most superior and this results in fights. I then recognised humanism as the most important:

Think about your fellow human beings and treat them as equal." The Atheist Centre, one of the oldest atheist organisations in India, started in 1940 in Andhra Pradesh. This organisation was started by Goparaju Ramachandra Rao and Saraswathi Gora to initiate social change in rural India, and they also were an active part of the national movement. Dr Vijayam, the executive director of the Centre, says, "Saraswathi Gora was initially a believer. Once when there was an eclipse, she saw only Hindus hide while Christians and Muslims were moving about freely. She then started questioning old beliefs and that subsequently led to the founding of the Atheist Centre."

According to Dr Vijayam, religion is only equated with houses of worship. He says, "Only three times in life does religion really holds any importance: Birth, marriage and death. The biggest problems are religious groups and politicians. Everyone became a part of the freedom movement, irrespective of caste or religion. Now we are divided on religious lines and that is the reason for the communal tension." He also strongly advocates that State should be separated from religion.

This is a view shared by many, including social acitivist, Teesta Setalvad. "There should be a common gender code that takes the best practices from all religions, and politicians should be completely barred from using religion as a means to gather votes." She adds that the spiritual aspect of religion is completely forgotten, with emphasis being laid only on ritual aspects. Most atheists, however, agree that an increasing number of youth are moving away from religion. Talking of the destruction that religion can cause, Megh Raj Mitter, founder of Tarksheel Sanstha, in Punjab, says, "I have talked to people of all religions, and they agree that humanity is the most important thing. But they still go around killing people. Countlesss people have been killed in the name of religion in India." A non-religious State, according to atheists, is the best solution. "Religion should be banned. It becomes uncontrollable. Religion has nothing to do with morality or moral values. If it did, then in a country like India where religion is so important would have no corruption or crime," says Mitter.